Daniel Cormier weighs in on what it will take for Khabib Nurmagomedov to fight again: “I don’t think it’s going to be money”
Daniel Cormier has shared his thoughts on what will need to happen for Khabib Nurmagomedov to fight again.
Nurmagomedov last fought at UFC 254 in October, when he defended the UFC lightweight title with a second-round submission of Justin Gaethje, improving his record to 29-0 in the process. In his post-fight interview with Jon Anik, Nurmagomedov shocked viewers by announcing his retirement from MMA.
Since then, UFC President Dana White has repeatedly shared his optimism that Nurmagomedov will fight again. Cormier, however, doesn’t seem as hopeful.
Cormier, who has spent many years training alongside Nurmagomedov at American Top Team, believes it will take more than money to coax the lightweight champion back to the cage.
Cormier weighed in on the subject during a recent Q&A with UFC commentator Laura Sanko.
If Khabib does return, @dc_mma doesn’t believe money will be the motivation 💰
Stream the UFC Fan Q&A on ESPN+ ▶️ https://t.co/uXFzmh3yR4 pic.twitter.com/ucrT9CdBYO
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 21, 2020
“I asked Khabib once, I said how much money would it take for me to be rich in Dagestan?” Cormier said (via CurrentMMA.com). “He said five million dollars and you’re rich for the rest of your life. Khabib has much more than five million dollars. So I don’t know how much the money is going to be the thing that draws him back to the octagon.
“Dana’s going to have to tap into something within his spirit to try to get him to fight again,” Cormier added. “He makes so much money outside of the Octagon at this point, that it would have to be something that would drive him competitively to come back and fight, because I don’t think it’s going to be money that makes him go back to the octagon.”
What do you think of these comments from Daniel Cormier? Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below.
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Daniel Cormier Khabib Nurmagomedov UFC